A senior government official announced on Sunday that the Maldives government has suspended three deputy ministers for insulting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid deteriorating relations between the two neighbors. The official told Reuters that Malsha Shareef, Maryam Shiyouna, and Abdullah Mahzoum Majid all worked in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Media, and Arts in the Maldives and underwent disciplinary action due to their comments on social media.
The three deputies described Modi on the platform X as a "clown," "terrorist," and a "puppet in the hands of Israel" in response to a video of him visiting the Indian island of Lakshadweep to promote tourism. Some viewed this visit as an attempt to divert tourists from the Maldives, which has luxury resorts on its 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean.
A source informed Reuters that the High Commission of India in the Maldives "strongly raised (the issue of the comments) and expressed concerns about it." Some prominent figures in India, such as actor Akshay Kumar and cricketer Hardik Pandya, expressed their discontent with the statements made by the three officials.
No comment has yet been obtained from any of the three deputies. The Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government is aware of the "offensive statements" against foreign leaders and will not tolerate them. Former President of the Maldives Ibrahim Solih stated on the platform X, "India has always been a good friend to the Maldives, and we should not allow such offensive statements to negatively affect the longstanding friendship between our countries."
